Fish Finder — Published Jan. 22, 2014

New Sport Fishing Licenses went into effect on Jan. 1. Also, anglers must return their 2013 Steelhead Fishing Report Cards to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife no later than Jan. 31.

Large tides added to angler misery over the weekend and, in the process, unleashed wads of hyacinth and other floating debris to foul fishing lines. Between unfavorable conditions, not too many fish and playoff football, angler interest seems low. On a positive note, water temperatures have risen to 50 degrees, making fish a bit more active.

The best place to score a striped bass or sturgeon seems to be below Decker Island in the area of the Power Lines at Light 14 and the Red Barn, where boaters anchor and use threadfin shad. They hook stripers in various sizes, some less than 18 inches and others to 6 pounds. Occasionally, a 10-pounder is claimed. Take plenty of bait because the river water is so salty because of the lack of runoff that flounder have shown up in legions.

On the San Joaquin River side, the annual winter bass run into Fourteen Mile Slough is well underway with fish to 24 pounds (rumors say even larger) coming to minnow drifters in Village West Marina. Each year, the larger bass seem to clog up in and around the marina near the end of navigable water.

Jigging and spooning also is scoring school-sized stripers at the Port of Stockton where boaters locate balls of bait, then go to work. Bass aren't huge, but there are plenty of 18- to 24-inchers.

Anglers line levees off Eight Mile Road, Lower Jones Tract Road and Bacon Island Road to catch red ear perch, bluegill and crappie with red worms. Catfish are biting, too, and beginning to school for the February spawn.

Sturgeon fishing is best in Suisun and Montezuma sloughs. Many sturgeon formerly found closer to salt water appear to have moved into the main San Francisco Bay to gorge on the winter herring spawn.

Ocean - Charters from Monterey to Bodega Bay stayed in port this week because of rough seas, massive coast side waves and popular rockfish and salmon fishing seasons being closed.

San Francisco Bay - The central bay, including Belvedere and Tiburon, is closed to sturgeon fishing through March 15 to protect the prehistoric fish from over fishing, when they school and feed ravenously on the annual herring spawn. Sturgeon fishing is permitted south of the Bay Bridge and in San Pablo Bay.

San Pablo Bay - The herring spawn in San Francisco Bay attracted fish and slowed the bite, but good reports continue to come in the shallows around the Pump House in upper San Pablo Bay. Charters, such as Argo and California Dawn, are taking legal-sized sturgeon, 40 to 60 inches, below the Pump House and at the Mare Island rock wall and Shell Bank. A lack of outflow has allowed so-called trash fish - croaker, flounder, shark and bay rays - to proliferate the fishing area, driving up the bait bill. Mud shrimp is the ticket.

American - Flows were reduced to 500 cubic feet per second this week, putting steelhead on the upper end in condensed holding water.

Feather - Steelhead weighing 7 pounds and larger fall to nightcrawlers and roe, or spoons such as Little Cleo, in the upper end of the system. There are a few half-pounders in the mix, reported Johnson's Bait in Yuba City.

Sacramento - Flows below Keswick Dam were reduced to 3,450 cfs, making the water low and clear, and requiring stealth to catch wild rainbows and steelhead. Above Red Bluff, boaters should have a jet drive or risk losing a propeller.

Amador - Low water, clear, cool and loaded with stocked trophy trout. Releases are Monday through Friday, and the Donaldson variety are 3 to 7 pounds, up to the mid-teens. Power Bait and Power Grubs, Kastmaster and Roostertails do well from the shore.

Camanche - Only 11 cfs are incoming from Pardee Dam, so focus fishing efforts on the lower end between Hat Island and the dam, with a possible detour to Launcha Plana where an 8 1/2-pound rainbow was hooked on a white grub. The Fisherman's Friend in Lodi is high on Camanche, especially for trollers who pull single spoons or grubs in the top 15 feet behind 150 to 200 feet of line. The North Shore ramp was stocked with 1,200 pounds of trout this week for bank anglers.

Los Vaqueros - The reservoir is filled to 130,000 acre-feet, one of the fullest impoundments in the state. More than 5,000 pounds of trout were released in December, with weekly plants expected through the end of the month. Trophy trout from Mt. Lassen Hatchery were released during the past two weeks. Shoreline fishing for rainbows is averaging 1 1/2 pounds and occasionally weighing as much as 7 pounds, is good in South and Cowboy coves, according to Kent Hintzman at the marina. Striped bass, 18 to 23 inches, are available on cut bait for bank anglers or boaters who tow Rapalas.

New Melones - Bank anglers continue to cash in on stocked trout at Tuttletown and Glory Hole points with either Power Bait or Gulp Eggs. Trollers work the surface to 20 feet with Needlefish, Speedy Shiner and Ex-Cel. Marty Morfey of Lodi scored a 4.4-pound trout on a Rebel. Spotted bass fishing improves with more 2- to 4-pounders hooked this week on jigs.

Pardee - Reopens Feb. 14 following its winter closure.

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